Cities of Hope

The history of the historic African-American towns in Oklahoma covers decades and centuries, including individuals and families with backgrounds from the entire Union. Fueled by hopes for a better future, the people settling these towns traveled the continental United States to find a small plot of land where they could raise families outside of discrimination and Jim Crow.

Complicated by racial tensions, these towns also faced the same difficulties as all the other new towns and cities that were founded in the early stages of statehood. Railroads ignored many African-American towns, and the Dust Bowl was colorblind. At one point Oklahoma counted over 20 African-American towns, more than any other state in the Union. Only a few remain today. Many of these towns are forever lost, existing only in history books and on old maps. Some former town sites are being watched over by cemeteries, where the pioneers are the resting in the land that they had staked with hope.

Searching for Eudora, the physical remains that I found was a cemetery that bears the name of the former town. One of the headstones bears the name of a sergeant that served during the Civil War in the 34th United States Colored Infantry which was stationed in Florida and South Carolina. From the Civil War to the Dust Bowl I wonder if he was ever able to find what he was fighting for, of if he was ever able to stop fighting. Individuals are still being laid to rest in Eudora, and many graves were remembered with fresh flowers. The town seems physically gone, but memories are still present.

In the same way that African-American towns shared in the economic plights of early 20th century Oklahoma, modern economic problems continue to threaten these communities. The only gas station in Grayson stands empty and abandoned, leaving the residents of this small town reliant on nearby communities for fuel. These towns may have endured into the 21st century, but for most the fight to survive continues.